Genesis 42:25

The ‘bags’ contained the grain that the brothers had bought. The ‘sacks’ contained their clothes and their other possessions. The food for their *donkeys was in their sacks. The food for their *donkeys was not part of the grain that they had bought.

To give honour to one’s father was very important in those days. Joseph would never take money from his own father. But the money that his brothers brought belonged to their father. Therefore, Joseph could not take the money from them. But he could not refuse the money. If he refused it, he would need to explain his reason. He would need to say that he was their brother. And he was not yet ready to say that. So he returned the money to them secretly. Perhaps he did not expect that this would make his brothers and his father so anxious. (See verse 28, ‘Then they were very anxious.’)

The brothers return home

v27 The brothers reached the place where they would stay for the night. One brother opened his sack in order to give food to his *donkey. And he saw his money, which was in the mouth of his sack. v28 And he said to his brothers, ‘Somebody has put my money back. It is here! It is in the top of my sack!’ Then they were very anxious. They looked at each other and they trembled. They said, ‘What has God done to us?’